Lola’s Fresh Italian Cuisine is now Lola & Giuseppe’s Trattoria, reflecting the role of Lola
Iacobone’s husband, Joe. Although the menu has evolved during the past six years, it’s still
basically a varied Italian lineup that goes beyond red-sauce American-Italian offerings.

Lola’s salad ($7) is distinguished by a couple of slices of poached pear and a bunch of Lola’s
glazed walnuts, which taste quite fresh. The rest is a blend of young greens, Gorgonzola and dried
cranberries. A good-quality port-wine dressing achieves balance.

The bruschetta ($8) has been lavish with diced Roma tomatoes bearing plenty of garlic and some
fresh basil. It’s slathered over four pieces of what is essentially already garlic bread. The
contrast between the toasted, buttery garlic bread and the olive oil-dressed fresh topping makes
the bruschetta work.

One of the best of the pasta dishes is also one of the lightest (farfalle fantastico, $14).
Farfalle pasta is dressed with olive oil, garlic, tomato slow-roasted almost to the point of being
sun-dried, Kalamata olives, a few pieces of artichoke heart, spinach and feta crumbles. Missing but
not necessarily missed were cannellini beans.

The veal saltimbocca ($24) benefits from the liberal use of minced fresh sage and a fresh sage
leaf that decorates each of the two pieces of veal. The veal — which was supposed to be pounded
thin and tender but was served thick and tough — is also topped by thick-sliced prosciutto and
melted white cheese.

It’s said to be accompanied by risotto Milanese, which, in my case, was more of a tomato risotto
with no evidence of saffron. The vegetable of the day that comes with the entree has been roasted
cauliflower.

Giuseppe’s gnocchi ($15) mixes the house gnocchi with a laid-back red sauce that tastes mostly
of tomato. Sauteed sweet pepper and onion and several slices of good-quality Italian sausage are
added. The pleasant dish is helped by a small dose of hot pepper.

Another pasta dish (shrimp fra diavolo, $18) incorporates a larger dose of hot pepper into a
thick tomato sauce used to dress linguine. Sauteed large shrimp provide the protein for the dish,
which authentically (and mercifully) doesn’t use cheese.

One of the longtime stars of the dessert list is the bread pudding ($7). Delicately textured
with traces of cinnamon, it is served with a good quantity of a sauce that hints at brown sugar and
caramel.

The best thing about the wine list is that it’s all-Italian. Finding reds or whites that work
with food, even by the glass, won’t be a problem.